Gold has always been a symbol of wealth and value, but have you ever wondered how many types of gold are in jewelry? Maybe you did not even know there was more than one. In this post we talk about the main kinds of gold that exist.
The different types of gold that exist in jewelry
There are two gold classifications, one according to their carats and another according to color.
Types of gold according to carats
The carats are a measure of the degree of purity of gold. As the number of carats increases, the value of the piece increases. In jewelry we can find the following classification:
10 carat gold: it is the lowest purity gold since it only has 40% pure gold in its composition. The rest are different metals. It is called 10 carats because it has 10 parts of gold for 12 parts of other metals
12 carat gold: this type of gold has 50% purity, since it consists of 12 parts of pure gold and 12 parts of other metals.
14 carat gold: it has 14 parts of pure gold for 10 of other metals, which gives it a purity of 60%. It is also known as low gold.
18 carat gold: this gold is called high gold and has 18 parts of gold for 6 parts of other metals (usually silver and copper), reaching 75% purity. Its characteristics make it one of the most used in jewelry.
24 carat gold: it is pure gold (99.9% pure) and therefore the most valuable. Gold ingots are usually 24 carat.
Types of gold according to color
Not all the gold that exists is golden yellow. If mixed with other metals you can get different colors, some very striking.
Yellow gold: noble gold, with a high degree of purity (18 or 24 carats)
Gold rhodium: is a type of gold that is produced by giving the gold an electrolytic bath of white gold or rhodium platinum to make it brighter. It can reach a high price.
White gold: this gold is normally 18 carats and the rest of the metals that make up its composition are a palladium alloy or a special alloy called the Italian League.
Rose gold: mix of fine gold, copper and silver.
Red gold: mix of gold with copper.
Gray gold: mixture of gold with nickel.
Green gold: mix of gold with silver.